Today’s outfit is lots of leather. I have never owned a leather jacket and always saw it as something un-me. But I succumbed! Like most things, you won’t know how it is like for you until you have a feel or try. Last week on one of my days off, coffee in hand, was strolling down my local shops. With a handful of boutiques to browse through, that was exactly what I did. You know how sometimes an item just jumps out at you? and you just feel this instant need to try it on? YES! That’s pretty much what happened to me. It was love at first sight. And yes, with a jacket…this jacket.

So off I went, picked it up from the rack (and bonus was it was being marked down, as I stretched my arm towards it!). Tried it on. And like a well fitted glove, it made me look and feel good. Then, I went through a brief 10 seconds, where there was a battle in my head. YES..or NO…YES…or No. And very quickly, my heart overtook, and my adrenaline levels calmed down. I walked happily to the counter to purchase my first leather jacket!

Since then, I’ve worn it to work, over a pretty structured dress (will blog it soon), and now also wearing it with jeans and boots. Love this piece. No regrets on this one. I was at the right place at the right time!

What made me buy this particular jacket? These are some of the reasons, which you could also use as a tip if you’re in the market for one, and not quite sure if it’s you.

# Right fitting. Because they are generally little stiff compared to fabric, getting the right slim cut would be great. They soften and stretch with wear anyways, which will give you a little more space.

# Right colour. I felt because it was my first piece, I would like to maximise my wear out of it. So went with black. Plus I had black boots to match.

# Right amount of embellishment. If you aren’t a leather jacket person, less is more. I think too many zips and embellishment can drown you, and may change the look of your outfit drastically. With this jacket, the shoulders are little puffed up, but I didn’t mind it as it gave me a better definition of my shoulders (Which are otherwise very narrow). The little zips add to the edginess but not in an overwhelming way.

# Right length. This for me is really important. It can either work for or against you. For me, just on the waist works well, as it draws the eye towards my waist. I have a slightly shorter torso, so it works well with a longer top under. Mid thigh lengths generally don’t work for me, as it cuts of my leg length, takes the eye there, which is an area I prefer not to draw attention to.

Here, I’ve worn it with jeans, boots, a statement piece of ring, and to complete it, a well structured leather bag. It all adds to the look, casual, edgy, smart.

Hope these tips will come in handy for your next trip out, if you’re looking for a leather jacket 🙂

Do you do leather jackets? If not…I would love to know what is holding you back? I truly and honestly would say don’t completely dismiss the idea. It is just a matter of finding the right cut, colour and fit!

Melbourne without a doubt has been a little temperamental these last few days. We were fortunate enough to escape the freeze last week as we travelled to sunny Singapore for a week. But the last three days since we’ve been back? Let see. I’ve worn a singlet, a long sleep top, a parka, a jacket, a pair of boots, and a pair of peep toes. All these in different combinations in three days! Confusion alright..!

This beautiful city has been such a mix bag of temperatures, but on the whole, it is clear that winter is fast approaching. With the foggy mornings, the sunny afternoons and the evening chill..it is that time of the year again.

Winter can be a tricky season to dress for. The tendency is to pull out the darker colours. My take on winter dressing? Keep it simple with a pop of colour! ( please excuse my obsession with colour!)

So, today, for a casual outing/meeting, I started with a basic black Camo Tee from Seed, available here, with a pair of skinny jeans from Dotti available here, and I kept warm with this beautiful Ponte Biker Target jacket, available here (comes in a few different colours too!). The beauty of the jacket is that it is lightweight, enough to keep warm as a layering piece, and comfy enough to be kept on while indoors. Great purchase I must say!

To complete this outfit, I popped on a pair of earrings purchased from Zara in Singapore on my travels, which is available here, and wore a pair of beautiful deep red wedges I purchased at the Round She Goes Markets in Melbourne earlier this year, which was a steal! (definitely worth checking them out). And this bag? A quick pick up for $30.00 from Bardot two weeks ago! Woopa…nothing says winter like fur! Not seeing it online anymore, but you can find a similar one here.

It was a bright, sunny, chilly kind of day! But I was warm, bright and comfy, enjoyed a quick meeting, and some time in the Melbourne sun.

What are some of your tricks for dressing this season? Do you like adding a pop of colour somewhere, somehow? And if so, how do you do it?

The cool change has now set into Melbourne. The days are getting shorter and the nights come too soon. I do love the change that comes with winter, the layering, getting all rugged up sitting in front of the telly a little bit more, hot soups! green tea, chocolates, and the rest that go with it. BUT what I don’t do well with is the lack of colour. My brains just don’t really like it. The grey, the gloom..my way of dealing with this problem of mine? bringing some colour into my wardrobe. I know the darker colours seem to always creep in by autumn/winter, and same way it does into my wardrobe, but I try to keep a little colour going somewhere, somehow…

So, last week, I did some online retail therapy, just a wardrobe update really! And got me self some pretty things, I visited the blue bungalow site, and went clicking. Rest assured, the pretty parcel arrived very soon after, and some lovely new pieces added to the racks!

I sported their beautiful jersey tunic in the Chartreuse, which can be seen here. It was bright, bold and beautiful. The shorter front and longer back length made it perfect to be worn with a pair of leggings for me (perfect for women that are a little heavier on the bottom half). The sleeves can be worn at full length or ruffled up to half way when indoors and it is slightly warmer. The loose fit allows for a relaxed feel and make it comfortable to run around in, for some work or for mummy duties.

I also paired it with a beautiful animal print scarf, which I purchased a while back from Myer, similar ones still available. Brought my ever so faithful Mimco leather bag out, and to keep warm and dry, I put on a pair of Jane Debster knee-high boots in brown from Sandler, purchased last winter, but you may like something similar here.

Off I went for a work meet, then to run some errands. And those colours? made me a very happy girl…:)

How do you cope with the darker winter colours? Leave me some ideas below, I would love to hear.

It’s that time of the week again, so off to another post for #lifeastyledtwowaysthursdays

Today I am sporting a beautiful cotton dress from a very lovely store in Melbourne, Jfahri. Bought this on sale at their recent Spend and Save promotion.

dress: Jfahri (Melbourne)

As I picked up this piece a couple of weeks ago, we were already into autumn and here in Melbourne, autumn can be very tricky to dress. The cooler days are cold, and the not so cold days are still cool with a hint of sun. So there you go, confused yet? Yes, it is a little bit odd like that. But what I loved about it was the fact that this dress screamed versatile right from the start! And the price was too good to give it a miss. And I am glad I brought it home, because it has been out and about a few times already in a very short few days.

Style 1: A day out with family and friends.

Comfort is key for me when I am out with family. And this dress has just that. The stretch in this dress is great, and its fit perfect. It’s slightly snug around the bodice, but nice and flowy from waist below. The stripes also gives a beautiful illusion as the lower half have diagonal stripes leading inwards to the centre meeting in the middle, which has a thinning effect. So there you go, not all stripes are bad 🙂 I’ve paired it with a fur vest, a bold matte gold block coloured necklace and a pair of tan boots, to break up the monochrome. Also perfect for an outing with friends, to the movies, coffee, playdates.

Because it is such a versatile piece, I decided to take it to work with me. Layered it with a black blazer, and added a statement necklace with a little hint of peach and grey, again to break the ‘too much of black and white’ look. This time, I went with a metallic silver pair of heels. These shoes are so comfortable thanks to the inverted pyramid heel, which means more stability and added thickness for support, making it a suitable pair for work.

I must admit I have been very skeptical about this whole boyfriend cut jeans trend at the moment. Seems to be hitting lots of stores big time! But, I am a shortie. Hence the length of it, which sits just at or above the ankle are no go’s for me. It make me look even shorter, and cuts me off at the legs giving a somewhat ‘false’ representation of leg length (which is all honestly aren’t long at all!).

But this cannot be the reason I not wear them. So off I went on a hunt. Multiple stores, big brands to not so big ones, over many shopping trip days. And finally, found one that I was very happy departing my $89.95 with! (it’s from Mango, and can be shopped here). So my tips for finding the boyfriend cut jeans are.

1) Try on as many pairs, brands and cuts. Even though they are called boyfriend cut, and one would think it is safe to assume that the cuts would be similar, trust me they aren’t. They can differ in length, folds, details, pockets, colour, wash etc.

2) If you are vertically challenged like me (i.e: slightly on the shorter side with your lower half of your body), still do not assume you are going to look stumpy in this. So go ahead, give it a go! It’s all in the look as a whole.

3) To compensate for the ‘cut off’ effect of many of these jeans, I put on heels. You can even go with wedges, as they elongate your legs. Wearing nude or tan shoes does help give this elongating effect as well.

4) If you feel you are slightly chunky on the thighs, stick with darker colours as it has a slimming effect. also stay away from too much detail on the thigh area, or if there are details (for example thread pulls etc done deliberately on these cuts), try and stick with ones that are similar in colour to the jeans itself, so it does not bring the eyes to that area). Minimal extra’s are still good.

5) If you are heavier on the bottom half (pear shaped or a triangle), also be mindful of the detailing of pockets on the back and front. This can add bulk to the bottom half, which should be avoided.

5) Also remember, they are meant to be relaxed fits, but ensuring you have the right fit, can and will still give it a beautiful feminine look (I always buy jeans snug as they tend to ‘give’ after a few washes).

Hope that helps 🙂

The other thing I found interesting with boyfriend jeans is that you can actually quite easily dress it up and dress it down. Add on some edgy accessories, and it can give you that rugged, casual, edgy look. Pair it with a fitted blouse, and peep toe heels with some simple accessories and it can look all feminine.

Pretty stoked with my recent investment, and have already had a few wears (and compliments!) from the purchase.

Have you got a pair of boyfriend cut jeans? Did you find it easy to buy one? or were you challenged..share your tips if you bought one.

Thanks for stopping by @lifeastyled.

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Hi, I’m Monica. Welcome to Lifeastyled.

Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the net! I am a simple & ordinary woman, mom and a wife sharing my love for fashion, life and colour. Also a self confessed shoe addict, bargain hunter, and tea drinker. Want to know more? Head over to the 'About me' link..

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